Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Reagan and Obama; a Difference of Epic Proportions

Originally posted on American Thinker @ americanthinker.com

Have you felt the earth move the last several days? It's President Reagan rolling in his grave upon President Obama's foreign policy and nuclear goals being favorably compared to Reagan's modus operandi.Remember a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, Reagan was at the helm guiding the Republic against an Evil Empire. Now with Obama at the helm, we are light years away from the leadership of Reagan. Appeasement of terrorists, political correctness, slow admittance that we are even in a war (or should I say "contingency operation"), believing that just saying no to nukes and singing Kumbaya will solve the world's problems . . . the list grows by the day of the blaring differences between the two presidents. Natan Sharansky, who experienced the effects of the Evil Empire first-hand when he spent 13 years in the Siberian gulag, was asked by The Weekly Standard about Reagan standing up against the former Soviet Union. Sharansky said, "He had the moral clarity to understand the truth, and the courage both to speak the truth and to do what needed to be done to support it. It was a great, brilliant moment when we learned that Ronald Reagan had proclaimed the Soviet Union an Evil Empire before the entire world. This was the moment. It was the brightest, most glorious day. Finally a spade had been called a spade. Finally, Orwell's Newspeak was dead. President Reagan had from that moment made it impossible for anyone in the West to continue closing their eyes to the real nature of the Soviet Union." So much for the days of calling a spade a spade as we face the new Evil Empire of terrorism. Under Obama's moral clarity and Newspeak, "Muslim extremist" and "jihad" are being removed from our vocabulary. Political correctness explains that terrorists are really the victims of social ills. Deterrent policies are thrown out the White House window. Israel is reassured that tough measures will be taken against Iran's nuclear program, and then yawn, that memo is placed in the "Eventually Impose Sanctions That Will Bite" file. What a reassuring promise considering all the appeasing bark that is behind the bite. Obama and Reagan being placed in the same category? The two don't even belong in the same galaxy.Perhaps one of the things that drove Reagan to be such a great leader in the face of an enemy was knowing that the fight at large was for individuals. He was known to keep a list in his coat pocket of people in prison in the Soviet Union. Each time before Secretary of State George Shultz traveled to the former Soviet Union, Reagan would pull out the list and remind Shultz to raise those names to the Soviets. Natan Sharansky was on the list. His freedom was gained because the leader of the United States did not flinch in the face of evil, but systematically called for needed and expected changes. I can't help but wonder what would happen if Obama carried a list of victims of terrorism in his pocket. Indeed Obama does seem to carry a list. A list of the perpetrators of terrorism to remind himself and his staff, not who they are fighting against, but rather who it is they will appease, aid, and abet. And it is a reminder to all of us of who seems to have Obama snugly in their pocket.